Leonard Part 6
}} | music = Elmer Bernstein | cinematography = Jan de Bont | editing = Gerry Hambling | distributor = Columbia Pictures | released = | runtime = 85 minutes | language = English | country = United States | budget = $24 million Dick, Bernard F. (1992) "Columbia Pictures: Portrait of a Studio" (p. 46). The University Press of Kentucky. . Retrieved on November 28, 2010. + $9 million Kips, Charles (1989) "Out Of Focus" (p. 324) Retrieved on May 7, 2014 | gross = $4.6 million }} Leonard Part 6 is a 1987 American spy parody film. It was directed by Paul Weiland and starred Bill Cosby, who also produced the film and wrote its story. The film also starred Gloria Foster as the villain, and Joe Don Baker. The film was shot in the San Francisco Bay Area. It earned several Golden Raspberry Awards; Cosby himself denounced and disowned it in the press in the weeks leading up to its release. It is often considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Plot Bill Cosby plays Leonard Parker, a CIA spy-turned-restaurateur. According to the opening sequence of the movie, the title refers to the idea that this film is actually the sixth installment of a series of films featuring the adventures of Leonard, as parts one through five were locked up in the interests of world security. In actuality, there are no films preceding this one. The theatrical release poster points out that Leonard Parker is, at the time of his reluctant return to action, coping with domestic issues: The film starts with Parker being called out of retirement by his CIA director Snyderburn (Baker) to save the world from evil vegetarian Medusa Johnson (Foster), who brainwashes animals to kill people. The film ends with Leonard infiltrating Johnson's headquarters (an "International Tuna" factory), fending off the vegetarians with magic meat he received from a Gypsy, freeing the captive animals, and flooding the base using Alka-Seltzer. He escapes by riding an ostrich across the roof; the unlikely steed flies him to the ground. Cast *Bill Cosby as Leonard Parker *Tom Courtenay as Frayn *Joe Don Baker as Nick Snyderburn *Moses Gunn as Giorgio Francozzi *Gloria Foster as Medusa Johnson *Pat Colbert as Allison Parker *Victoria Rowell as Joan Parker *John Hostetter as Adams Production Asked years later about his work on the film, director Paul Weiland recalled: }} Reception The movie received overwhelming negative reviews. When the film was released in 1987, even Cosby himself said that he was so disappointed with it that he publicly advised people not to waste their money on it. The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Leonard Part 6 is a smug, tedious exercise in self-indulgence ... There's virtually nothing to laugh at in this film, and too much of everything else." The Times noted that, although Weiland was the director, "clearly Cosby, as star, producer and idea man (writer), is the auteur here." Weiland was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director. Caryn James of The New York Times wrote: }} Box office The movie was a box office flop, and thanks in part to Cosby's advice on the film, it only grossed $4,615,255 —a mere fraction of its $24 million budget. Accolades The movie won three Golden Raspberry Awards, for Worst Actor (Cosby), Worst Picture, and Worst Screenplay (Jonathan Reynolds and Cosby). It was nominated for two more Razzie Awards, for Worst Supporting Actress (Foster) and Worst Director (Weiland). A few weeks after the ceremony, Cosby accepted his three Razzies on Fox's The Late Show. He demanded that the three Razzies he earned be specifically made out of 24 karat (99.99%) gold and Italian marble, which were later paid for by Fox. Cosby himself later brought the awards with him when he was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, happily displaying them and proclaiming, "I swept the awards!"Razzie® Award Reel – YouTube For the 2005 Razzies, the movie earned a nomination in the Worst "Comedy" of Our First 25 Years category. Home media Leonard Part 6 was released by Columbia Pictures on DVD, on April 26, 2005. References External links * * * Category:1987 films Category:1980s comedy films Category:1980s spy films Category:American films Category:American parody films Category:American spy films Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:Directorial debut films Category:English-language films Category:Films scored by Elmer Bernstein Category:Films about the Central Intelligence Agency Category:Films directed by Paul Weiland Category:Spy comedy films Category:African-American films Category:African-American comedy films Category:Films shot in San Francisco